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Headphones enhance a variety of activities. From music listening to hands-free calling, gaming, and even movie watching, a robust pair of headphones is a must for anyone. However, noise-canceling headphones elevate audio consumption. Through filtering outside sounds, these isolate the audio pumping through the cans.

Need to reduce noise pollution? These are the best noise-canceling headphones available for audiophiles.

Why Buy Noise-Canceling Headphones?

Noise-canceling headphones offer plenty of benefits over standard headphones. Namely, noise-canceling headphones fight noise pollution.

That snoring guy in the window seat next to you? Not a problem. Your obnoxiously loud roommate? Nope, you won’t hear them either. But there’s a bit of a catch.

Although these headphones isolate the audio playing through your headset, blocking outside sound remains the first priority. Sound quality comes after this. Audiophiles will want to find headphones that satisfy both criteria. (Noise cancelation is different from noise isolation!)

Looking for the best in noise cancellation and optimal sound quality? Check out these top picks.

1. Paww WaveSound 3

Paww WaveSound 3 Bluetooth Headphones – Active Noise Cancelling Headphones with Airplane Adapter, Charging Cable & Carrying Case – Foldable Travel Headphones/Over-Ear Headphones (Black)


Paww WaveSound 3 Bluetooth Headphones – Active Noise Cancelling Headphones with Airplane Adapter, Charging Cable & Carrying Case – Foldable Travel Headphones/Over-Ear Headphones (Black)
Buy Now At Amazon $98.00

The Paww WaveSound 3 is an excellent pair of cans that offers superb noise pollution reduction that won’t break the bank. It’s a pair of Bluetooth headphones that comes complete with an airplane adapter, charging cable, and carrying case. You’ll notice exquisite noise cancellation, with reduction for as high as 23 dB of ambient noise.

Additionally, the Paww WaveSound 3 headphones include a microphone for calling. While this headset currently sits at 4.3 out of 5 stars on over 1,100 customer ratings, its active noise cancellation comes up short when compared to offerings from premium headphones. Still, its sound quality rivals that of much higher-end headphones.

With wired and wireless connectivity, superb noise reduction, and top-notch build quality, the Paww WaveSound 3 ranks among the best noise-canceling headphones available on a budget.

Pros

• Bluetooth
• Budget pricing
• Both wireless and wired modes
• Reduction for up to 23 dB
• Lots of included accessories
• Excellent sound quality

Cons

• Active noise cancellation is lacking

2. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B QuietPoint

Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Closed-Back Headphones, Wired


Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Closed-Back Headphones, Wired
Buy Now At Amazon $99.95

Like the above, the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B headphones yield impressive noise-canceling ability with supreme sound quality. It’s an affordable headset that anyone should consider. The ATH-ANC7B is a wired set (not wireless) and remains considerably more affordable than models from the likes of Bose and Sennheiser.

Its over-ear form factor folds up well for travel, and Audio-Technica engineers its headphones to function in passive mode if the noise cancellation feature is switched off or the batteries die.

At the price point, it should come as no surprise that noise cancellation isn’t top-tier. Expect a bit of sound bleeding. Furthermore, the ATH-ANC7B don’t sound as polished as other headphones for the money. Altogether though, the ATH-ANC7B balances sound quality and noise reduction well.

Pros

• Budget pricing
• Good sound quality
• Work in passive mode
• Fold up for travel

Cons

• More sound leakage than on competing headphones
• Better sound quality available

3. Bose QuietComfort 35 Series II

Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling, with Alexa Voice Control – Black


Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling, with Alexa Voice Control – Black
Buy Now At Amazon $349.00

When it comes to high-end audio, Bose consistently ranks among the upper echelon. Not surprisingly, this holds true for audiophile-quality noise-canceling headphones. The Bose QuietComfort 35 Series II, successor to the Bose QuietComfort 35, sounds fantastic and features strong noise reduction. However, they certainly aren’t cheap. Sound quality is delightful, though lower-end cans like the Paww WaveSound rival them.

These headphones offer a crisp and clear audio profile, as well as stunning noise cancellation. Moreover, Bose packs fantastic battery life and simple pairing, which is a nice convenience.

Unfortunately, these workhorse headphones come in an extremely boring veneer. And because the active EQ jacks up bass frequencies a bit when you lower the volume, you might notice bass-heavy audio at lower volumes.

But in functionality, it completely dominates. Despite minor quibbles, the QuietComfort 35 Series II stands as one of the best pairs of noise-canceling headphones on the market.

Pros

• Excellent audio quality
• Top-notch noise cancellation
• Great battery life
• Simple pairing

Cons

• Active EQ a bit bass-heavy
• Mundane looks

4. Sony WH-1000XM2

Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH1000XM2: Over Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Microphone – Hi Res Audio and Active Sound Cancellation – Foldable On Ear Headphones with Travel Case – Black


Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH1000XM2: Over Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Microphone – Hi Res Audio and Active Sound Cancellation – Foldable On Ear Headphones with Travel Case – Black
Buy Now At Amazon $348.00

For those seeking premium audio quality and noise cancellation that bests Bose, check out the Sony WH-1000XM2. Its noise cancellation is arguably the best you’ll find, while its audio paints a lush soundscape. Additionally, you’ll find a substantial 30-hour battery life.

The Sony WH-1000XM2 boasts gorgeous sound and incredible comfort. Unfortunately, the battery is not user-replaceable. Aside from that, the touch controls are a bit cumbersome and the build quality, particularly around the hinges, is a little weak. But these noise-canceling headphones deliver where it counts: audio quality and noise reduction.

Because of their performance in these areas, the Sony WH-1000XM2 totally justifies its high price tag.

Pros

• Excellent audio quality
• Top-notch noise cancellation
• Arguably better sounding than Bose offerings
• Good battery life

Cons

• Battery not replaceable
• Moderate build quality

5. Sennheiser HD-1

Sennheiser HD1 Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation – Black


Sennheiser HD1 Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation – Black
Buy Now At Amazon $349.63

Sennheiser is a renowned name among headphones aficionados, and its HD-1 headphones are a top pick. These noise-canceling headphones are an all-around solid offering with impeccable noise cancellation, mind-blowing sound, and Bluetooth.

Disappointingly, noise canceling features don’t match what you’ll find on Bose headsets. Yet looks, comfort, and Bluetooth support in addition to its strong noise cancellation makes the Sennheiser HD-1 a major contender. Sure, these HD-1 headphones don’t come cheap. But if you’ve got the budget, Sennheiser’s HD-1 cans are one of the best noise canceling headphones for audiophiles.

Pros

• Excellent audio quality
• Great noise cancellation
• Comfortable
• All-around solid package
• Bluetooth

Cons

• Noise cancellation not as robust as Bose
• Pricey

6. Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2

Plantronics Wireless Noise Cancelling Backbeat – Headphones (Black & Tan) (Pro 2)


Plantronics Wireless Noise Cancelling Backbeat – Headphones (Black & Tan) (Pro 2)
Buy Now At Amazon $180.59

With strong battery life, the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 touts impressive lasting power. With included accessories such as a carrying pouch, the BackBeat Pro 2 is a fantastic option. Aside from lush performance with music, these Plantronics noise-canceling headphones work well for making calls.

While it’s a comfortable pair of headphones, the BackBeat Pro 2 is a bit heavy. Moreover, noise-cancellation doesn’t match that of Bose cans. Nevertheless, its price to performance ratio makes the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 a worthy contender in the noise-canceling headphone space.

Pros:

• Comfortable
• Excellent audio quality
• Good for calling
• Carrying case included
• Affordable

Cons:

• Slightly heavy
• Poorer sound quality than Bose and Sennheiser

7. Bose QuietControl 30

Bose Quietcontrol 30 Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black (761448-0010)


Bose Quietcontrol 30 Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black (761448-0010)
Buy Now At Amazon $289.99

Whereas many sets of noise-canceling headphones come in an over-the-ear or on-ear form factor, the Bose QuietControl 30 is different. Instead of a bulky set of headphones, the QuietControl 30 come in a neckband-style pair of earbuds. It’s sweat-resistant, making these noise-canceling earbuds the ideal workout companion.

Still, quality fails to surpass the likes of the QuietComfort 35 or QuietComfort 20. Additionally, there’s no wired connectivity option, so you’re relegated to a Bluetooth connection. But with many phone manufacturers abandoning headphone jacks, this may be a non-issue anyway.

The earbuds stay in your ears fairly well. Ultimately, the Bose QuietControl 30 features a snug, comfortable fit and noise cancellation in a small package.

Pros:

• Great for workouts
• Sweat-resistant
• Good for calling

Cons:

• No wired connection option
• Noise cancellation not as robust as on or over-the-ear headphones

8. Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC

Sennheiser HD 4.50 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation, Black and Silver(HD 4.50 BTNC)


Sennheiser HD 4.50 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation, Black and Silver(HD 4.50 BTNC)
Buy Now At Amazon Too low to display

The Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC provide a luxurious, audiophile-quality experience which compete with Bose headphones at an affordable price. They’re wireless with solid battery life and conveniently fold for portability.

There’s an included carrying case as well. Build materials deliver comfort, though plastic and synthetic leather components pale in comparison to high-end models from Bose and Sony. But with quality on par with the QuietComfort 35 Series II at a lower price point, the Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC is a terrific buy.

Pros:

• Convenient folding design
• Included carrying case
• Wired and wireless connectivity
• Excellent price-to-performance ratio

Which Noise-Canceling Headphones Will You Choose?

Noise-canceling headphones are an excellent investment. By blocking out ambient noise from around you, you can focus on the audio pumping through the headphones. Almost any noise-canceling headphones will filter out sound. However, for audiophile-caliber noise-canceling headphones, these are the best cans on the market.

Bose is a safe bet for ultimate function and uncompromising quality. You may consider the QuietComfort 25, a medium budget pair of noise-canceling headphones. Though the QuietComfort 25 doesn’t offer a wireless option, it’s far less expensive than its older sibling, the QuietComfort 35. Similarly, Sennheiser is a trustworthy name.

For those that demand a wireless in-ear style pair, Bose’s QuietControl 30 handily trounces the competition. However, its performance doesn’t rival over-ear cups. The HD 4.50 BTNC is an excellent set of noise-canceling headphones with excellent build quality.

If you’re on a tight budget, the Naztech i9BT (our review) delivers decent audio and wireless functionality. But if you’re willing to spend a bit more, you can snag even better-sounding noise-canceling headphones.

We’ve rounded up the best wireless gaming headsets if that’s what you need. Take a look at the best Bluetooth headsets with long battery life, too.

Image Credit: IgorVetushko/Depositphotos

Read the full article: The 8 Best Noise-Canceling Headphones for Audiophiles

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Though many live mostly paperless lives, there are still occasions when you need to print something out. Fortunately, wirelessly printing photos and documents straight from your iPhone or iPad is as easy as sending a text message.

Apple’s printing technology AirPrint, plus a few handy third-party apps and cloud services, make it quick and simple to achieve. Here’s how to print from your iPhone or iPad to just about any printer.

iPhone Printing With AirPrint

There are lots of ways to connect a printer to an iPhone. The simplest is with Apple’s own AirPrint service. There’s no AirPrint app to download—it’s all built-in and ready to go.

Just check Apple’s list of AirPrint compatible printers. If yours is there, all you need to do is make sure it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone or iPad. You won’t need to add the printer, as it should show up automatically on your device.

You can print from many first and third-party apps; just find the Print option located under the Share button.

The process is similar for most apps. If you want to print a document, for instance, you’d open the document, hit Share, then find the Print icon—you might need to swipe left on an iPhone—then tap it.

This opens the printer options on your iPhone or iPad. Here, you need to choose your printer (assuming you have more than one on your network). You can also set the number of copies you want to make, or which pages you want to print. When you’re happy, tap Print.

Some iOS apps don’t include a printing feature, so you will need to export the selected content to another app that does support it. You can do this using the Open In feature, also found under the Share button.

Print Pictures From an iPhone or iPad

You can print pictures directly from the iOS Photos app. To print a single image, follow the same instructions as above.

You can also print a whole batch of images in one go. To do this, open your Collections and tap Select in the top-right corner. Now select all the photos you want to print—you’ll see check marks alongside the ones you’ve added. (Tap them again to deselect them.)

Finally, tap the Share button in the top-left corner, select the Print icon, and proceed from there.

iPhone Printing With Your Printer’s Own App

But what if you need to set up a wireless printer for your iPad or iPhone and it doesn’t support AirPrint? The next best option is to see if your printer has its own dedicated app.

Most printer manufacturers (including Epson, HP, and Canon) offer apps designed to work with their own hardware on the same network. They might offer more features—especially support for proprietary options—that you won’t get elsewhere, like changing the print size to print full pages.

Epson iPrint, for example, can print multiple photos from your photo library, documents from your Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive accounts, and documents shared to it via the Open In feature.

It also has a built-in web browser for downloading and printing web pages.

HP’s ePrint Enterprise app works in the same way for networked HP printers in a business setting. It supports cloud services like Dropbox, plus Facebook Photos.

If you’re not near your networked printer, ePrint also allows for sending documents to one of 30,000 public print locations such as a UPS Store or FedEx Office.

You can set up and activate printing locations from within the app, and select your documents or photos to be sent to the printer location.

iPhone Printing With Google Cloud Print

Google Cloud Print is an excellent AirPrint-style service that goes a couple of steps further. Not only can you connect to printers on the same network, but you can also print over the internet. You can even print wirelessly to older, non-wireless printers.

Sadly, the service only has limited support on iOS. There’s no Cloud Print app; instead the feature is built into Google’s existing apps. So if you’ve invested in Google’s ecosystem—you use Google Photos, Chrome, Gmail, and others—then you can use it. If you haven’t, you won’t get much use out of this.

Many modern printers are cloud-ready, which means there’s no setup process required. Classic non-Google Cloud printers that connect to the internet through a laptop, Mac, or PC can be set up and registered with Google Cloud Print via the Chrome web browser. See Google’s list of Cloud Print devices for instructions and specifications.

You need to sign in to your chosen Google app to use Cloud Print. The print option appears in different places depending on the app. For example, you’ll find it in Chrome under the Share button. In Google Drive you can open a document and select Print Preview > Print from the menu.

iPhone Printing With Third-Party Printing Apps

If the above options aren’t working for you, some third-party apps should be able to help.

PrintDirect

PrintDirect is free to download and test, but you need to unlock the full functionality through an in-app purchase. It works as a kind of companion to AirPrint in that it detects printers connected to the same Wi-Fi network. However, it should also work with printers that are non AirPrint-compatible.

To print with PrintDirect, open a document, web page, or other file, and go to Share > Open In > Copy to PrintDirect. This sends the file to the app, where you can adjust the print settings first.

PrintDirect works with most apps, and also supports AirPrint and Google Cloud Print printers. You can also print to PDF.

Download: PrintDirect (Free trial, $5)

Printer Pro

Working along similar lines, Printer Pro is a powerful and full-featured printing app for iPad or iPhone.

To test out Printer Pro, download Printer Pro Lite to check that it adequately supports your printer. From the lite version, you can print sample documents included in the app.

Open the app to set up your printer by following the on-screen instructions. Again, you print files using the Open In option in your file editor or other app. To print from Safari, just change the URL header from http to phttp. This will quickly open the page in Printer Pro, where you can print it.

Download: Printer Pro Lite (Free) | Printer Pro ($7)

iPhone Printing Made Easy

Printing from mobile devices may be less common than it once was, but when you need to do so, it’s easy.

With a printer that supports AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, or its own app, you can create a hard copy of your essential documents in just a few minutes.

And if this has left you thirsting for an upgrade, check out our guide to the best all-in-one printers to find the new machine that’s right for you.

Read the full article: How to Print From Your iPhone or iPad: A Simple Guide

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Amazon recently unveiled a slew of new products, most of which are Alexa-enabled devices designed to make your home smarter. The message is simple and clear… Alexa is going to be everywhere. And now Microsoft wants a piece of the action.

Microsoft and Amazon have been working together for some time, and, as a result, earlier this year Cortana and Alexa learned to talk to each other. Now, with Alexa and Cortana getting on famously, Microsoft is upping the ante by adding Skype to the mix.

Bringing Skype Calling to Your Amazon Echo

In a nutshell, Microsoft is bringing Skype calling to Alexa devices. Once it has been rolled out, anyone who owns an Amazon Echo will be able to “easily communicate with their friends and family from their Echo devices, simply using [their] voice.”

If you own an Echo you will be able make outgoing calls, both voice and video, and accept incoming Skype calls. You’ll also be able to make SkypeOut calls to standard phone lines. However, unlike Skype-to-Skype calls, SkypeOut calls cost money.

Alexa, call Jeff on Skype. https://t.co/5vQ24Xj2Os

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) September 20, 2018

Seeing as Alexa is is a voice-activated personal assistant it should come as no surprise to discover Skype has its own voice commands. To make a call just say, “Alexa, call [Name] on Skype. And answering a call is as simple as saying, “Alexa, answer”.

According to Microsoft, Skype calling on Alexa will “begin rolling out later this year.” In the meantime you can cast your eye over all of the new Echo devices and decide whether it’s time to upgrade to an Echo Show purely for Skype video calls. It probably isn’t.

Further Reading for Alexa Noobs and Veterans

If the integration of Skype has piqued your interest into all things Alexa you should check out our review of the original Amazon Echo. Or if you’re already in the game check out some of these creative uses for your Amazon Echo and Alexa.

Read the full article: Microsoft Brings Skype Calls to Amazon Echo

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